Refuge Egypt, a ministry of the Diocese of Egypt, the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem & the Middle East, serves refugees who have fled to Cairo due to war or disaster in their home countries. Their Adult Education programme equips refugees for life in Egypt and future resettlement.

[Refuge Egypt] As the sun began to set on a scorching August evening, groups of refugees from across Cairo clustered around the courtyard of All Saint’s Cathedral. Over the next hour, more and more of their fellow students joined them in the nervous, excited energy of the evening; the square outside the cathedral offices filling with laughter, ringing phones, while crates of soda led the march upstairs.

This was the second graduation of our Adult Education programme this year, which has been running in various forms for over a decade. More to the point, it was the largest intake of students in recent memory: 145 students started one of our 6 English Language Classes this term, based on the Interchange curriculum, ranged from preparation classes to level 2A. As a result, we had to hold our graduation ceremony in a larger hall than we have done before; with more chairs put out than we could’ve imagined at the start of the year.

A total of 85 students graduated their classes—the drop-off rate in large part due to the interruption of Ramadan mid-way through the semester, despite changes made in the schedule. But there was still plenty to celebrate, and the graduates packed out the room with friends, families, and loved ones who came to celebrate the achievement of hope beyond the odds.

Photo Credit: Refuge Egypt

The students who came to celebrate with us on Saturday night come from a range of backgrounds. For the most part, they come from Sudan—around 87% of students this year have been Sudanese. Among these are families, single parents, and young men, who have escaped everything from war to raids to famine.

In addition, others have come from South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Syria. One mother and daughter from Iraq studied together in the same place. This shows the beauty of the programme.

Adult Education is a cornerstone of our Capacity and Livelihoods Department, which aims to give refugees who stay in a kind of limbo in Cairo—without the options of going home or being resettled—a better hope at work or further education, through skills training and education. Its mission is the improvement of refugee’s capacity for self-sufficiency.

Yet an incredible offshoot of this programme has been in how it has fostered real community among its disparate constituents. Students come from widely different backgrounds, living on opposite sides of the city—and find common hopes, dreams, struggles, and failures, and work together to overcome.

Soon, the evening got off to a start. Mr. Bouquet, one of the founders of the programme and the current programme administrator gave a few words of welcome and congratulations, as well as the new Head of Capacity and Livelihoods, Beth Watkins.

Heather, our Headteacher, then started inviting the teachers up to give out the certificates class-by-class. There were lots of smiles and applause, high-fives and hugs, and one or two tears, as each of the 6 classes came up to receive their certificates and a firm handshake, and stood together for photos.

After the certificates were handed out, the staff took a few minutes to thank the excellent teachers and volunteers who give freely of their time, for dedication to the students.

In addition, we said goodbye to two teachers who will not be finishing the next term. One of the teachers, an Eritrean, is being resettled in Europe. As one of the teachers said, ‘This is good news for you, and bad news for us!’

Photo Credit: Refuge Egypt

Before the evening could draw to a close, several students stood up and gave words of thanks on behalf of their class.

One Sudanese man began to give a short speech in excellent English. A guest in the front row overhead the Headteacher turn and whisper her neighbour, “Just last year I taught him to read!” She was smiling from ear-to-ear—just like her students and the families who came to share in the joy.

Another student got up and spoke in English for a few minutes. He thanked the teachers for their time and hard work, and for working to give the students improved skills and better opportunities for their future. He asked for permission to speak in Arabic, so he could say a few words to be understood by the guests of the students, as well as the students in lower levels.

He summarized the same points, but then added a short section only in the Arabic speech. He said, ‘These teachers, they are from other countries, they are Christians, and look at everything they are doing for us. And we, when we see each other struggling just say, “Hi. How are you? You’re fine? Bye!” We need to help each other the way these Christians and foreigners are helping us!’

After the evening’s festivites, Beth Watkins, the Head of Capacity and Livelihoods, reflected. ‘It is exciting to see the progress the students are making and watch the confidence they get with improving their English overflow into other areas. We are excited for the upcoming term and are working so we can accommodate as many students as possible.’

Many students see learning English as the only hope they have for a better life. This programme is one of a small handful in Cairo that meets the needs of refugees directly.

This, then, was more than a celebration of achievement, of skills gained and grades reached. This was a celebration of hope.

Read more about Refuge Egypt’s adult education programme.